Dean Parrish

Dean Parrish (born Phil Anastasi, or alternatively Phil Anastasia circa 1942) is an American soul singer from New York, best known for the song, "I'm on My Way", which became famous for being the last record that was played at Northern Soul all-nighters at the Wigan Casino.

Anastasi was born to Italian and Spanish parents and was raised in Little Italy, New York. He lived by the train lines in Brooklyn. Anastasi sang second tenor in a street corner doo-wop group and attended the School of Industrial Arts. He was spotted by the same manager who looked after The Mystics and The Passions who tried to convince Anastasi to go from second tenor to lead/solo singer.

The Peppermint Lounge was New York's premier nightclub in the very early 1960s. Anastasi frequented the establishment and would eventually appeared on the bill. On the advice of The Ronettes lead singer Ronnie Spector, he changed his name to Dean Parrish, and began his own recording career in 1964.

He signed a recording contract with the Laurie record label. Between 1964 and 1967 Parrish recorded for four major U.S. labels Laurie, Warner Bros., Musicor Records and Boom.

...
Wikipedia